Mindfulness

Here in the summer of 2016 mindfulness is all the rage. The concept being that an optimal way to live is to spend ones life fully focused on the present moment. This is by no means a new phenomena but it has certainly hit critical mass. Entire books have been devoted to the subject. Monks and great thinkers have spent their lives trying to achieve a state of mindfulness.

Portrait Study, oil on linen, 14" X 12", 2016

It occurs to me that creating art is a consummate mindful act. When fully engaged in a drawing or painting there is no other consciousness. This quality is one of and perhaps the most desirable aspects of making art.